Even the most hard-working soul’s cravings for comfort food are brought out by the chilly weather, winter blues, and pelting rain on the glass windowpanes, all after a long day of hard work. Comfort food is different for almost everyone, depending on cultural background and upbringing. For many people, it consists of the dishes their mom cooked for them during gray or sick days.
The following 3 comfort food dishes range from the quintessential classics to cheesy yet delicate Italian pasta to Asian dishes with sass and sauce.
Spaghetti Carbonara
The ultimate comfort food; al dente spaghetti pasta tossed with crispy pancetta and sauteed garlic, wrapped in a silky and simple sauce of beaten eggs and freshly grated parmesan. Top it off with parsley for a fancy flair and freshly ground black pepper to bring it to the next level. For an exact recipe, check out this one for Spaghetti Alla Carbonara.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
No list of comfort food is complete without this crispy, cheesy classic. While cheese and bread have been a longstanding combination historically speaking, the American idea of grilled cheese really began sometime in the 1920s, when processed sliced cheese and bread became readily available. In today’s world nearly a hundred years later, grilled cheese is easy to update to a more healthful version, while still retaining all of the delicious taste. Swap out regular white bread for sprouted bread and processed American cheese for a delicious grassfed raw cheddar. Or, take it to the next level of fancy and fill your grilled cheese with gruyere, cheddar, and caramelized herby onions in this French take on the American classic.
Dumplings
Dumplings are basically a dough made of flour with some sort of filling inside, it can be sweet or savory, meaty or vegan. They hail from every corner of the world, from the steamed Chinese xiaolongbao dumplings filled with meat (typically ground pork) and injected with broth for moisture, to the savory Italian ravioli, Polish pierogis, American chicken and dumplings, and daifuku (Japanese dumplings made from sticky sweet rice flour, typically filled with something sweet like sweet red bean paste). Check out this list for a more comprehensive look at the international dumpling scene. This recipe of Chinese dumplings chases away the winter chills in no time.